Docking
As from 30 April 2007 it will be illegal to
dock puppies' tails in Scotland (other than
for therapeutic reasons) or to travel across
borders to have them docked. Regulations
pertaining to this law will be approved by
April 2007. It is permitted to show docked
dogs in Scotland.

Animal Welfare Act 2006 (England
and Wales) - Docking
As from April 2007 it will be illegal to dock
puppies' tails (other
than for therapeutic
reasons or if a breeder can submit evidence
to
a Veterinary Surgeon that the dog is of a
specified type to be used
for work, rescue,
armed forces, police, pest control).

Regulations pertaining to this law
approved April 2007 by
England
and Wales separately. It will not be
permissible for
docked dogs to be exhibited
at shows where the public pay an entrance
fee.

After the dates on which the regulations on
exemptions came
into force, members of
the public should report any breeders to
their Local Authority/RSPCA
whose litters'
tails are known to have been removed
without
the required certification.
Anyone flouting the law can be prosecuted
and fined £20,000, possible
imprisonment
and be banned from keeping animals (which
could mean that
other animals in their care
could also be confiscated.
No-one should buy a docked puppy without
accompanying certification to
prove that the
dog has had its tail removed legally and it is
intended
as a working dog under the
categories listed in each region's regulations.
This
Veterinary certificate will be proof that
the dog has been docked legally
and will be
important in prosecution cases. The dog also
has to be microchipped
with associated
certification.
N. IRELAND – As from 29 March 2011 the
N Ireland Welfare of Animals' Act came into force .
In Section 6 of the Act – Docking of dogs' tails
wef 1/1/13 -
3a
This clause prohibits the docking
of a dog's tail, otherwise than for the purposes of
its medical treatment by a veterinary surgeon or to
safeguard
its life or where dogs are working dogs
and could benefit from prophylactic docking by
reducing
the risk of future injury while working
"certified working dogs". These dogs are subject
to certification and identification regulations and
are the following: Spaniels and combination of
breeds, Terriers and combination of breeds,
any breed commonly for hunting and combination
of breeds,
any breed commonly used for pointing and combination of such breeds, any breed used for
retrieving or any combination of such breeds.
It will be an offence to take (or cause another
person to take) a dog from Northern Ireland for
the purpose of having its tail docked. The clause
also introduces a ban on the showing of dogs when the
e
xhibitor pays a fee or there is a public admission fee
and where the tail was docked after introduction of
the new Welfare of Animals' Act.

undocked Schipperke

Whichever country you are from,
please actively support any legislation
that
will prevent, ear cropping, tail docking
and
puppy farming/mills

Hound breeds are not docked
Gun/sporting dog breeds which are
not docked:
Irish Water Spaniel;
Portuguese Water Dog/Spaniel;
Setters; Kooikerhondje;
Pointer (English); Retrievers
Terriers:
Bedlington; Bull, Border;
Cairn; Cesky; Dandie; Machester;
Scottish; Skye; Staffordshire
The Brittany (Spaniel) has a shorter tail,
less excitable tail movement, and usually
has a lower tail carriage. This breed could
be used in breeding programmes for
working dogs.

Anti-Docking Alliance (A.D.A.)

Campaign against the docking of dogs' tails (and cropping of ears) There are no cookies on this site

Worldwide website dedicated to ending the practice
of removing puppy tails (docking)
(and also ear cropping in those countries where it is still practised)

1788 picture of undocked
King Charles Spaniel
DOCKING IS SHOCKING
Click Here
The act of docking a puppy
is causing it an injury -
an injury it may
never get in its lifetime.
An injury which may have
long term effects.
Docked tails can also get injured.
Dogs more often suffer other injuries - frequently to legs.

Breeds which harbour von Willebrands
in their gene pool could lose litters when pups are docked through blood loss.
see breed pages and healthissues.

A dog's tail is the continution of its spine
and is comprised of caudal coccygeal vertebrae which narrow towards the tip. The length varies in breeds but tails are shorter than their evolutionary counterparts. Foxes' tails, when domesticated, curl upwards and become shorter (National eographic)
Tails also have a major artery and nerves, all are enclosed by a very versatile muscalature.
see Wansbrough

A recent Royal Veterinary College Study indicates that 500 puppies 'would
have to be docked in order to prevent ONE tail injury'
(ANY breed) see Newspage
How many legs are amputated as a result of leg injury?

Breeders should be paying attention to tail lengths, set, carriage and movement
in their
breeding programmes as they do in Scandinavia -

If a dog has been bred as 'FIT FOR FUNCTION' then it
should not need to have prophylactic "alteration" to do
the "work" for that function.
Working dogs have a high incidence of leg injuries
especially to cruciate ligaments

**************************************************
Choose UNDOCKED from a reputable breeder
if you live in a country where dogs are still being docked

This Welsh Springer is worked and shown
(photo by permission of Gill Tully).

undocked English Springer Spaniel Both field and show bred Springer Spaniels have been docked
prior to 2006 UK legislation.
The difference between the two was that the field bred dogs' tail was docked longer.
'.....The reason
for this is that the tail is an important hunting tool;
it acts as an alert signal for the hunter. ....'

A dog that is being given the description
"Fit for function"
should not mean that a tail needs to be docked
for that dog to be able to function!
Breed for better tail sets, carriage, length and movement

S. African Painted "Dogs" breed and hunt in thorn bush.
Wolves and foxes have tails. Hounds are not prophylactically docked.